Her Alien Savior (15 page)

“Bullshit.” Marissa stormed over to him. This man, this being, this beautiful image from another place that she was figuring out she didn’t want out of her life. “You’re not going anywhere. You drop all these info-bombs on me, you leave my car in Galveston. I’m here in Houston, people are hunting me to do things to me—surgical shit. And you say you’re leaving?” She grabbed his arm, the hardness flexing beneath her fingertips. “Bullshit.” She looked into his eyes, seeing the pain, his face tinged with blue.

“I just want to go look for my people. To see if they’ve left. To see what is going on. To see if you’re safe.”

She huffed. Men. Half-men. Whatever. “You just don’t get it, do you?”

“I think you’d be safer up here, than if you were with me.”

“I’d be trapped up here. At least you could fly me away if there was danger.”

“Listen.” He started.

She put two fingers of one hand over his lips, and slid other hand up his arm, shoulder, behind his neck, pulled his face to hers. “Finn. Please.” His breath was warm against her mouth. She kissed his lower lip, sucked on it gently, traced it with her tongue.

“You’re making things happen.” His voice was hoarse, sexy.

“They’ve already happened.” She didn’t want to expand on that. How could she possibly explain to him that there were these feelings for him—strong ones—deep within her.

“Let me go check for you. I won’t bother you again after that if you don’t want me to. I’ll stay away.”

Disbelief flooded throughout her body. Did he not get it? What did he think she meant by what she just said. Maybe he didn’t. “Finn, I don’t want you to leave.”

He leaned back, took her face in his hands, cupping her jaw, boring into her eyes, reaching her soul. His own expression was confused. “After everything—”

She shook her head. “I don’t get it either. I don’t want you to go, though.” She stepped back, hands on her hips. “And I sure as hell don’t want you to leave me here.” And yet she didn’t want to go close to the ship. Couldn’t they just run away somewhere?

The thinking part of her brain laughed at her ignorance.
He’s not even an American citizen. He can’t hold a job. You will be losing your job in a matter of days. And you have no prospects.

Marissa rubbed up and down her arms, even though it wasn’t even cold.

“What is it?” Finn tugged her top, pulling her back into his arms.

“I’m worried. You can’t go. We shouldn’t go. But we will. Then what? What will happen?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll fly us there. We’ll stay in a grove of trees nearby, they won’t see us. We’ll see what is going on and then we’ll go.”

“And then?”

“We’ll make a plan. I’m not sure what that is yet, but at least let’s make sure my people go so you are not under threat.” A smile lit up his gladiator face, but the frown that lined his forehead didn’t go completely away. “Ready?” He held his arms out.

She shivered, not sure if it was from the breeze that picked up or something else.

Chapter 34

Finn

Finn inhaled as much air as he could, filling his lungs, his chest. “Ready?” He tried to infuse confidence in his words, but he couldn’t convince himself. What if he couldn’t fly again? What allowed him to fly the first time? What if he took off from the roof and they plummeted to their deaths? So much for saving her.

“What’s wrong?” Marissa looked up, pushing her hair out back from her face.

Her laser-sharp eyes saw right through him, he was convinced of this. Should he tell her? That wouldn’t solve anything.

“Nothing. Just checking the wind. Thinking things through.” His best bet would be to start the flying thing at the end of the building, that way if they fell, they’d fall on the rooftop, make it serve as his landing strip, rather than crashing dozens of floors down, on the concrete Houston sidewalks.

He took her hand and led her to the other end. “We’ll start here.”

“You’re worried.”

Damnation. She knew him too well.

“You’re worried it won’t work.”

“It’s still a foreign skill for me. I can’t say I’m used to it yet.”

“Finn. You can do this. You did it before.”

He was full of adrenaline and worried when he did it before. What if it didn’t work now? What if he couldn’t figure it out? “Let me do a test run first, just to be sure.”

“No way. You’ll leave me. You’ll go off on your own like you planned to do. Not a chance.” She hunched over, posed like a runner. “I’ll catch you if you try to fly off.”

He laughed. He couldn’t help the laugh that exploded from his body. And it felt good. He’d never laughed so hard before. This sweet, tender woman was threatening to tackle him, and at the same time, she was the tigress in his bed earlier. He took her chin in his hand. “I won’t leave you. I promise on all that is holy. On all that I believe in.”

“You said you don’t believe in much.”

“I swear it. On my grandmother.”

“You test your wings. I’ll wait.” Her jaw’s set was determined, her eyes green flint in the semi-darkness. “Don’t go far, Finn.”

Chapter 35

Marissa

Finn took a few steps back, his face appearing cast in stone, resolute. With only jeans on, his wings spread behind him, and he rose, straight up, air fanning Marissa’s face. She bit back the giddy laughter that threatened to come out. She didn’t want him to know she’d been worried too. Worried that he’d crash-dive both of them into the ground below. He made a slow spin around the rooftop, her eyes stayed on him as he circled the air above her. She rotated with his motions, then—

Oh, god.

No.

—he was gone from sight. Vanished. He plunged like a stone.

The same boulder dropped in Marissa’s stomach. No, this couldn’t be happening. She rushed to the end of the building, her lungs burning from exertion and fear.

She drew to a quick stop at the end of the building. She didn’t want to look over the side. She couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Finn’s body on the sidewalk, blood pouring out of him, while a crowd grew around him, fascinated by the man with wings.

She dropped to her knees, then sat against the brick wall, her head in her hands. Hot tears coursed down her cheeks. She could still smell him on her body, and now he was gone. Forever. Her hero, her savior.

“I’m sorry, Finn.” Her soft tears turned to sobs.

A soft breeze fanned her hair. How could the world still be functioning, the traffic zooming, honking, the wind blowing, the moon beaming its faint glow, while down below an amazing man lay dead, just waiting to attract attention, to be featured in the news.

“What are you sorry for?”

Finn’s voice.

Finn!

Marissa raised her head. He was right above her, creating the breeze with his wings, his skin a beautiful green tint. She jumped to her feet, grabbed his legs and pulled him down.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again. I thought—I—it looked like . . .” She wiped her tears away with impatient hands.

“I didn’t do anything. I was testing my wings.”

“It looked like you were falling. Like you lost control.”

With one fingertip beneath her chin, he raised her face, studying her. “You were crying for me? You were worried?”

“That’s hard to believe?” It almost seemed as though this was a foreign concept to him. Marissa struggled to remember that he wasn’t like her. But she couldn’t figure out what he was like. Did he not have emotions? If he didn’t then why did he save her?

“No.” A perplexed expression flashed over his features. “Ready?” He held his arms out.

She had so many questions to ask him, but this didn’t seem the time. Would there ever be a time? A chance? A reason to ask him about Asazi and emotions?

She let him wrap his arms around her, put her hands on his neck and face into his chest, bare chest, so that his wings weren’t encumbered. It struck her how commonplace it was now for her to see his colors changing and wings there.

She took a deep breath, inhaling his scent and the scent they’d created together earlier. “Ready.” She whispered, low, so he couldn’t hear her. She was ready for whatever. Adrenalin dropped, fatigue set in, and she nuzzled against his body.

~*~

Marissa startled awake. Something was different. She was still in Finn’s arms. She pulled her face away from his warm chest, away from the strong heartbeat. They were on the ground. Unsure of the level of danger, she kept her voice to a whisper. “Where are we?” Through the night’s darkness, she could see the silhouettes of pines and oak trees surrounding them. Scrub and brush locked out most the moon’s faint light.

“In a thicket near the compound. I can see the entrance. I want to see who is coming and going. And if they look like they are ready to go back. And what kind of threat they may pose”

“What sort of compound is this?”

“It’s an underground one on land our people own. We’ve owned the land for a long time. We own several properties scattered around the world. Have bank accounts. Preparing for our eventual Ultimate Passage.”

Crickets and undergrowth sounds punctuated Finn’s explanation.

“So you have a way to move to Earth? You could do it today if you had the transportation?”

“We don’t have the transport, anyway. But I believe that an influx that large wouldn’t go unnoticed, even if spread out over several countries.”

“What language do you speak, where you’re from?”

“Asazi. But we are all trained in English. Though we don’t use it except when we have to. Well, I did.” He shrugged. “My grandmother was American, and she felt more comfortable with that language.”

“She wanted to be with your people?”

“She loved my grandfather. And he felt the same way.” His skin glowed a blue tinge in the dimness. She had come to recognize that as sadness. Unless it had other emotions tied to it. She’d have to ask him sometime. “You don’t like emotions do you? Are all your people that way?”

“Yes. It is what separates us from baser creatures. Humans, animals.”

Marissa fought her anger at the revelation. “Baser? You’re comparing us to animals?”

“That’s not how I feel. That’s—” he visibly struggled for words, for an explanation, a flash of orange flowed over his face and neck then subsided. “—how some think. Not all.”

A wave of sadness poured through her. “Was your grandmother happy?”

“I think so. She never said she regretted leaving Earth. She never asked to return.”

“That—”

Finn put a finger over her lips, then pointed.

Headlights approached from a distance.

Chapter 36

Finn

Finn had shared with her the information Kal had given him before they left their home. He knew Kal hadn’t told him everything he knew, but he also wasn’t convinced that Kal knew everything there was to know. He wasn’t that high a rank. And even with a Governor-Select father, that didn’t mean that Finn’s uncle would share everything with his son Kal. He knew she’d gotten upset. He knew that she wouldn’t understand some Asazi ways. He wasn’t sure he understood them himself.

He waited for the car to approach. He didn’t recognize the vehicle, but then again none of them had shared what vehicles they’d rented. The car came to a halt, the engine killed.

Merck emerged from the driver’s side, rounded the car and opened the passenger door. He reached in and came out with a woman.

Marissa gasped. Finn clamped his hand over her mouth.

They couldn’t afford to be found, not in this thicket, not where he had no way to lift off and fly away. He cursed himself for deciding to hide here. Cover would mean nothing if they were heard and if he needed a quick escape.

To his rear left, a crunch signaled a footfall. He whirled around, pushing Marissa behind him.

Blinding lights shone in his eyes.

“Lieutenant Ramont.” A voice said in Asazi.

Think. Quick. He needed to think, quick and now and—

Finn saluted. “Reporting with Target 41, sirs.” He responded in English, hoping to convince them that he was not in collusion with Marissa. That she was his prisoner.

Marissa sucked a sharp breath in, audible. Clearly shocked.
Forgive me,
he prayed silently. Not even sure whom he was praying to. Finn stepped aside, allowing the Asazi soldiers access to Marissa.

In the gloom, her face paled, she spun around as if to run, they grabbed her arms.

Marissa struggled. “How could you?” Betrayal and surprise inundated her tone.

Finn looked away, unable to face her. Behind the colonel, Kal’s eyes had a look that made Finn nervous.

“Proceed.” The commanding officer, Colonel Parn waved them all toward the compound entrance.

Finn fell behind Marissa and her captors, who held her.

“She’s not unconscious.” The colonel’s voice carried disappointment and reprimand.

Finn paused. “A portion of the additive spilled, sir. I had to subdue her.”

“What are you saying? Marissa’s voice was shrill. “Speak English, damn you.”

“Where is your vehicle?” Still speaking Asazi, the colonel turned to face him, eyes sharp over his eagle-beak nose.

Finn responded in English. “It died. I had to carry her.”

Marissa turned to face him. “How could—” Her voice was raised, a scream almost.

One of the soldiers clamped his hand over her mouth. “Silence.”

Kal stepped closer to Finn. Too close, Finn noted. Placed his hand on Finn’s, pushing it . . .

Confused Finn looked down. Kal’s weapon holster was unsnapped. Kal wasn’t usually careless. Finn looked his cousin in the eye, but couldn’t discern his expression.

“Halt.” Colonel Parn raised a hand, halting the procession.

“Lieutenant Ramont. You were ordered to come in. You’ve been insubordinate at the very least.”

“Sir—”

“You will stand trial. You could have risked our mission. And you brought her here, like this—conscious. You know the regulations about witnesses. We made that clear in the briefing. Asazi cannot afford exposure to Earth beings.”